Game apparatus



W. E. COONEY GAME APPARATUS Fil ed Ma y 25, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 e 3 21 Safe INVENTOR Patented Dec. 16, 1924.\

1,519,666 PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM E. COONEY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

GAME APPARATUS.

Application filed May 23, 1923. Serial No. 640,864.

i To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. CooNEY, acitizen of the United States, reslding at Pittsburgh, county ofAllegheny, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and.

useful Improvement in Game Apparatus, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

The present invention relates to game apparatus, and more particularlyto an apparatus for playing a marine game.

-An important object of the invention is to provide a game apparatus bymeans of which mock contests between vessels may be staged.

Another object of the invention is to provid'ea game apparatus which maybe readily learned either by adults or children, and which will furnishamusement to both.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown, for purposes of illustrationonly, certain embodiments of my invention, it being understood that thedrawings do not define the limits of the invention, as changes may bemade in the disclosure thereof without departing from the spirit of theinvention or scope of the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a plan view of a board or chart adapting the game to beplayed by as many as six players,

Figure 2 is a view similar to Flgure 1, showing a portion of a boardadapting the game to be played by as many as eight players,

Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of the pieces, and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of another type of piece.

The chart shown in Figures 1 and 2 represents a body of water havinglanes for determining the paths of travel of the pieces of the opposingplayers.

In Figure 1 there are three starting paths A at each end of the board,whereas in Figure 2 there are four starting paths A at the end of theportion of the board shown, it being understood that the other end ofthe board also has four starting paths. Obviously, any suitable numberof starting paths may be provided, depending upon the maximum number ofplayers that it is desired may be permitted to play the game at any onetime.

The starting paths lead to havens of safety B, and intermediate thehavens B are other ber of pieces E, preferably three, representingvessels, and a single piece F repre-" senting a chaser, the pieces Erepresenting vessels permitted, in accordance with the rules of the gameas hereinafter explained, to move in one direction only along thevarious paths, and the piece F representing a vessel permitted to movein either direction along the paths, backwards or forwards. The pieces Emay be conveniently provided with an arrow or other indicia thereon toindicate the direction of travel.

Of course, it will be understood that the pieces need not necessarilyrepresent vessels, but since the chart illustrated represents pathsthrough a body of water, it is approprlate that the pieces representvessels.

The pieces of the diiferent players may be distinguished from eachother, as by coloring them differently.

In playing the game, the players may play independently or they may formpart nerships as desired. Each player preferably selects a differentstarting path for entering his pieces into the game. As previouslystated, the various paths are divided into spaces, and the players movetheir pieces along the paths the number of spaces indicated by asuitable chance device, such as 'a spinning device G shown in Figure 1.As shown therein, the spinning device consists of a dial painted on theboard or chart and a rotatable arrow adapted to be given a spinningmotion in the usual manner. This spinning device may, ifv desired, bemade entirely separate from the board or chart, or some other chancedevice may be employed, such as a die.

In starting the game, the several players spin the arrow in turn andmove one of their pieces over their respective starting paths the numberof spaces indicated on the dial. The object of the game is for theplayers to capture each others pieces until finally only one player hasany pieces left on the chart or board, that player being the winner.

The players spin the arrow in succession and move their pieces thenumber of spaces indicated on the dial. After a player has entered apiece into the game, he may enter fore called a chaser, may,however,-1n0ve in either direction along a path. This gives the piece Fa much greater range of operation than the pieces E. If a. player has apiece E on a certain space on a certain path, that piece may be capturedby the piece of another player. For example, suppose the piece of oneplayer is on the space of a path numbered 5 and the piece of anotherplayer is on the space of the same path numbered 1, and the latterplayer spins the arrow and, as a result, is entitled to move exactlyfour spaces. In that case, the second player may move his piece to thespace occupied by the piece belonging to the first player, and removethe latter piece from the chart. The piece of a player cannot becaptured while-that piece 1s occupying a haven of safety. Forexample,suppose the piece of a player is on the space numbered 3 of the startingpath A, and his next move entitles him to move four spaces. In thatcase, he could move his piece on to a space B (haven 'ofsafety), andthis piece could not then be captured by the piece of an opponent solong as it remained on that space. .In view of the fact that the piecesF (chasers) are permitted to move in either direction along a path, itwill beobvious' that these pieces may be used to capture the pieces ofan opponent much more readily than the pieces E.

The pla ers continue to move their respective pleces in turn, capturingone anothers pieces, until finally onlythe pieces of one player remainon the chart or board,

in a, forward direction along the path, that piece. may not be moved inthe opposite direction along that path. The piece F, hereinbethat plgyerbeing the winner of the game. As alr ady stated, the players may playthe game independently, or they may form partnerships. In the case ofpartnerships, the partners are i entitled to move each other's pieces. 1

The advantages of the present invention arise from the provision .of agame apparatus which may be played by young or old,

and which-will furnish amusement to both.

I claim:

1. A game apparatus comprising a chart representing a water area, andhaving a plurality of paths divided'into spaces, certain of said pathsrepresenting starting aths, the spaces of sad paths being num ered,

a plurality of spaces representing havens.v

and a plurality of pieces for each certain of said pieces representingvessels permitted to movein one direct-ion only along the several pathsand certain others thereof representing vessels permitted to of safetyand interconnected by said paths,

ayer,

move in either direction along said paths,

one direction along the several paths and certain others thereofrepresenting vessels permitted to move in either direction along saidpaths, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. i

WILLIAM E. COONEY.

indifferent direcv

